SOIL TESTING

Why do soil testing?
  • Know the current health of the farm's soil and how to improve it
  • Make efficient use of fertiliser
  • Limited soil degradation because of incorrect and over-fertilisation
  • Adhere to regulatory requirements

How do I get my soil tested?
  • Just collect samples and send them on to FBA Laboratories
  • Select the Paddocks you want to check
  • See the section on Sampling to be sure you follow the correct process

What SOIL TEST can I get?

  • SR2 - pH, P, K
  • Basic soil test with guidance on crop utilisation based on results
    Is a set of various chemical processes that determine the amount of available plant nutrients in the soil
  • SR3 - pH, P, K + Trace Elements
  • Full soil testing for pH, carbon / nitrogen ratio, organic matter, cadmium, chromium, copper zinc, nickel, lead and mercury analysis with results analysis and usage guidance for standard crops
  • Heavy Metals - Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, Hg
  • Tests for the presence of harmful metals in soils and can help inform safer growing practices that limit contact with soils with high levels of metals
  • OM - Organic Matter
  • Helps to evaluate soil fertility and overall soil health

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Solvita

Solvita® Soil Tests capture key biological, chemical and physical traits indicating soil health functions

Soil Biological Forces interact with soil weathering to form a cornerstone of productivity and stable yields. A common feature of the soil-plant system is soil-dwelling organisms – bacteria, fungi, animals – expressing their activity and mass by metabolism – the consumption of litter and detritus and release of respired carbon as CO2. This is nature’s natural cycle.

For more information, visit: https://solvita.com

Soil Texture

Soil texture (such as loam, sandy loam or clay) refers to the proportion of sand, silt and clay sized particles that make up the mineral fraction of the soil.

For example, light soil refers to a soil high in sand relative to clay, while heavy soils are made up largely of clay.

Texture is important because it influences:

  • the amount of water the soil can hold
  • the rate of water movement through the soil
  • how workable and fertile the soil is

For more information, visit:

https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/soil/soil-properties/texture

Solvita® Soil Tests capture key biological, chemical and physical traits indicating soil health functions

Soil Biological Forces interact with soil weathering to form a cornerstone of productivity and stable yields. A common feature of the soil-plant system is soil-dwelling organisms – bacteria, fungi, animals – expressing their activity and mass by metabolism – the consumption of litter and detritus and release of respired carbon as CO2. This is nature’s natural cycle.

For more information, visit: https://solvita.com

Soil texture (such as loam, sandy loam or clay) refers to the proportion of sand, silt and clay sized particles that make up the mineral fraction of the soil.

For example, light soil refers to a soil high in sand relative to clay, while heavy soils are made up largely of clay.

Texture is important because it influences:

  • the amount of water the soil can hold
  • the rate of water movement through the soil
  • how workable and fertile the soil is

For more information, visit: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/soil/soil-properties/texture

SAMPLING

Using clean, uncontaminated utensils take a soil sample from a number of areas in a paddock to a depth of 100 mm (4”) excluding any non-soil material. It is advisable to follow a predefined path to ensure future samples are taken from roughly the same areas for comparison.

Very large paddocks (> 20 ha) should be subdivided. Take a minimum of 20 soil cores per paddock, mix them together, and take a representative sample of .5 kg approx. for testing. It is advised to sample a paddock 3 months after the last application of P and K and 2 years where lime was applied.

Samples should be placed in an airtight container and clearly marked with references to the farm Log Sheet to be sent with the samples to the FBA Laboratory.

Delivery

When the sampling is completed for the farm, all of the samples should be placed in a box with a log sheet that identifies each sample in the box and delivered to FBA.

The options for delivery are:

Certification

Once the soils are tested, a certificate with the results is sent to you by email if you provided it or by regular mail, which shows the results and nutrient advice where appropriate.

CONTACT

  • +353 58 52861
  • fbaadmin@fba-labs.com
  • F.B.A. Laboratories Ltd., Carrigeen Industrial Estate, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford
  • Office Hours: 9.00am to 5.00pm